The announcement this Wednesday of the end of the career ofactor Bruce Willis, who has aphasia, has shone the spotlight on this language disorder that is little known to the general public, although it affects many people.
What is aphasia?
Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage. They most often result from a sudden event, such as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), or head trauma.
But “there are other possibilities, such as a degenerative disease”, for example Alzheimer’s, then causing progressive damage, Brenda Rapp, of Johns Hopkins University, told AFP. The family of Bruce Willis did not detail the cause of his aphasia. “Aphasia simply means that someone has a language problem that they weren’t born with,” said Hugo Botha, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
What are the different shapes?
Scientists distinguish several forms of aphasia, depending on the part of the brain affected. In expressive aphasia, “usually people understand quite well but have trouble finding the words,” says Brooke Hatfield of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). A person will then use very short sentences, such as “wants food”, to make themselves understood.
In receptive aphasia, “the words come easily, but they are not necessarily the right ones. And it’s complicated for these people to hear what they say” and therefore to be aware of their mistakes, explains Ms Hatfield. Finally, global aphasia causes very great difficulties both in speech and in understanding.
How to cope ?
After a stroke, part of the ability to communicate can return quickly during the first months. But often, difficulties remain beyond that. Language re-education therapies can allow further recovery. Some learn how to work around a missing word, for example.
The entourage is also encouraged to be patient, to use simple sentences, to minimize ambient noise, to stimulate the person by including him in conversations, and above all not to stigmatize him. Aphasia is not a problem of intelligence or mental retardation, experts point out. People with aphasia are always in possession of their knowledge and ideas. It is therefore counterproductive to address them as children.